


and i can't help falling

by kingkaiserin



Category: Succession (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, emotional maturity nowhere to be found
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23722087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingkaiserin/pseuds/kingkaiserin
Summary: Gerri has knee surgery. Roman is Roman.
Relationships: Gerri Kellman/Roman "Romulus" Roy
Comments: 4
Kudos: 67





	and i can't help falling

Roman had been dozing off in a meeting when he heard Gerri’s name and perked up. One of the lawyers that worked for her looked up from her phone and whispered (loudly) to the man next to her “Shit, looks like Gerri just got rushed into emergency knee surgery or something so I can actually make happy hour tonight.” She laughed and looked over with a start when Roman flew out of the room, yelling something about needing to see a man about a mole. 

He looked down and saw no new messages from Gerri. Not like he had expected her to text him or would have even wanted her to send something. Wait, did he want that? Roman had nowhere near the emotional capacity to deal with that and filed it away in his ever growing cabinet of “Gerri thoughts”. What he did know was that he needed to see her.

As Roman skidded past one of Gerri’s assistants in the hall on the way to the elevator he attempted to very coolly ask what hospital she was in. In reality he all but screeched words that could have used an interpreter. “New York Presbyterian, but she said no visitors!” Roman rolled his eyes and kept his path toward the exit. 

In the car on the way he rehearsed what he would say. Definitely some old lady jokes, definitely some Dr. Feelgood jokes, maybe an offer to be her personal wheelchair. Should he have gotten her flowers? One of those get well soon teddy bears? No. That was for fucking normos.

His fingers drummed relentlessly on his thighs as he watched the city pass. He looked down at his phone again, nothing- except for the 3 texts and a phone call from Kendall asking where he was. So basically nothing. 

________________________________________________

As his car pulled up in front of the hospital Roman realized like so many of the other plans he had crafted, his valiant effort to find Gerri hadn’t been 100% thought out. After wandering between a few desks and the with the confused stares of quite a few medical professionals he finally made it to someone who could help. “I am looking for a Gerri Kellman” he said in his most ‘real boy’ voice. The unenthused nurse replied “Are you a family member?” 

“Yea I’m her grandson, Rudolph Kellman”

His plan did not work- somehow the nurse didn’t believe him and wouldn’t tell him what room Gerri was in. He tried to slide her a 50 dollar bill and a wink but that just got him removed from the waiting room to the curb. Roman was really starting to get antsy now, he wasn’t used to going this long without speaking to Gerri. The more it upset him meant the more he worried he became about how attached he had gotten. 

Somehow he ended up pacing up and down near the entrance to the emergency room. What was he even doing there? The last time he had been at a hospital had been with his father and that didn’t bring up a particularly fond set of memories. Except, in some ways, it did. He remembered sitting and talking to Gerri in the waiting room. That had been the conversation that started some weird flip in their relationship. Try as he might he could no longer think of her as just the family friend, Shiv’s godmother, or Waystar general counsel. They were so far beyond where they had started. She was his teammate in this fucked up game.

And now his teammate was somewhere in the hospital and he wasn’t there. Knee surgery was probably not a big deal but what if it was a big deal and he couldn’t even get in. See, if Gerri had just agreed to marry him they wouldn’t even be having this issue. Roman could just waltz in and announce himself as her husband and no one could stop him. Once again he cracked open “Gerri Thoughts” and threw this line of thinking in there with the rest.

And then, boom, an idea crossed through Roman Roy’s rockstar brain. At that very moment an ambulance was pulling up with its lights flashing and sirens blaring. As the EMTs unloaded the poor fucker on the gurney, Roman took the opportunity to stroll (with purpose) right in through the ER doors. Everyone was busy and any Roy learns young that you can get anywhere if you look like you know where you’re going. So with a determined gait and speed no one really noticed as he slipped by the nurses station and back toward the interior of the hospital. 

After another solid 45 minutes of scouring, dodging, and meandering the giant building Roman finally made it to what looked like the private recovery rooms. “Fucking bingo” he nearly yelled as he found a door with the name “Kellman” scrawled on the whiteboard outside.

________________________________________________

All of the bravado and jokes he had prepared faded away as soon as he made it into the room. His brain knew it was nothing serious but there was Gerri, in a hospital bed. Her glasses were in her hand and her eyes were closed. Her hair was pulled back and curlier than he’d ever seen it. His heard felt like it was in his mouth when he saw her bandaged leg elevated and protruding from the sheets. 

“Roman?” Her voice was hoarse, but the surprise was evident. Shifting nervously from foot to foot he managed to squeak out, “wanted to see if you could quick put me in your will before you kick the bucket.” It wasn’t his best joke but he was on shaky ground here. 

Gerri had put her glasses back on and gestured to a chair next to the bed. “Sit down please, I’m on painkillers and your constant fidgeting is making me fucking seasick.” He sat down as fast as he could. 

“Did all these years of being on your knees for Logan Roy finally wear them out?” Gerri chuckled. “Something like that. I was rushing to make a meeting and down I went. My right knee has been bad since I was in college, this was only a matter of time.” Gerri was tired and had closed her eyes again as Roman quipped “Do you need anything? Horse Tranquilizers? A nice rubdown?” A smile crossed her face. “Of course here I am in the hospital and you’re really thinking of yourself.”

Roman knew the game but in all actuality he wasn’t thinking about himself and he hadn’t been since he ran out of that meeting. 

“Stop staring at me Roman, I look horrible” Gerri was uncharacteristically self conscious. She had been up since 4am, been in surgery by 9:30, and now with the clock reaching 4pm it had been a strenuous day and it showed. Roman couldn’t make himself look away. “No, you look great…for an old lady with a bionic knee.” He couldn’t be sure but he thought there was just a tinge of pink on her cheeks as she set her glasses on the bedside table and rubbed her eyes.

Gerri was drifting off and Roman wasn’t sure if he should leave when an electric shock ran through his body. Gerri had moved her hand just a few inches and rested the tips of her fingers on his hand. They didn’t do this very often, physical touch, but it always meant something. 

“Thank you for coming, Rome” it was soft, and maybe it was the exhaustion or the meds but it was almost tender. Tender was another thing they absolutely didn’t do. As much as some part of Roman wanted to run out of the room and not look back an even bigger part wanted to stay. 

That part wanted to crawl up onto the bed and be next to Gerri. It wanted Roman to match his breath with hers until they fell asleep together- as close to one person as two people could be. As nauseating as that sounded even to him, he couldn’t deny that it was true. He couldn’t take his eyes off her face. Roman wanted to memorize every detail because this was Gerri with no walls, no pretense. He saw her almost every day but this was something rare. He had come to crave the moments when they could be themselves so he needed to savor each second. Roman needed this to matter to her as much as it mattered to him.

Roman’s voice was small, uncertain- “Can I stay here?” His head was resting on her good side, cheek pressed against Gerri’s thigh. She didn’t respond right away but threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled just enough to show him that she had heard. Letting out a sigh that left him completely sated, Roman closed his eyes and for once felt entirely still.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in about an hour so be merciful- this was my first time attempting these characters.


End file.
